Do you know me?
by CURSEDvenus
Summary: She was not just some preppy snob... she was more than that... but nobody gave her the chance to show herself. No one really cared.. [oneshot]


**(A/N): **Hey! I wrote this today since I got only one review for the 3rd chapter in my in-progress fanfic "The secrets of Uzumaki" (which I am currently working on) I was bored so I decided to write a oneshot. I have nothing much to say but I hope you all enjoy this.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

**Genre: **General

**Rating: **K+... but if a real kid read this, I doubt they'd understand the emotions inside.

**Summary: **She was not just some preppy snob… she was more than that… but nobody gave her the chance to show herself. No one really cared.

…Enjoy…

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"**Do you know me?"**

I sighed as I quickly ate my dinner. My parents were currently on some mission so I was left alone. It was an important mission, so I guess I'll be staying like this for a couple of weeks. I didn't really like the sound of that.

I took the last spoon of my micro waved dinner; I then washed the dishes and headed towards my room. It was already near midnight… Yeah, I stay up pretty late… so I thought I'd go through my diary. A thick notebook with every dreadful AND cherished memory I had.

I was never the drama girl, but like all of us humans… I had feelings. And nearly none of them were obvious. I kept my emotions hidden pretty well. So, if you say that you know Yamanaka Ino, then you're wrong. You know nothing about me… and I mean it.

I put my yellow pajamas on slowly. I wasn't in a hurry, so no need to rush things. I then sat on my single bed and laid the diary on top of my lap. I had to be ready for this. Who knows what would happen to me if I suddenly opened the door to my past? But then again, I'm Ino…a stubborn blonde.

I opened the notebook, skipping the dates for they mean nothing to me… I already know when each and one of them happened by just reading the contents.

I start from the beginning:

_Dear diary,_

_I never thought I will get a diary… Wait. I never did… A girl gave this to me a week ago. She is very nice. Her name is Haruno Sakura. The girl I helped when she was crying about the people teasing her about her big forehead. That is mean of them to say. So I told them to go away and I helped Sakura. I gave her a red ribbon to help her with the large forehead. It was pretty on her. She has nice pink hair and her green eyes are nice too. She looks more like a girl than me. I want to look pretty too. So this is my first time writing in something about what I think. I like this diary… Thank you, Sakura._

The diary was from her? No wonder I always felt something every time I looked at it beside my bed before I slept every night… it was from her.

I read on, confident that I was strong enough to keep my emotions sealed yet again:

_Dear diary,_

_Today, I helped Sakura with how to pick the right flowers and put them together. The teacher liked our work! Sakura blushed that day and she thanked me because I helped her. I like it when she smiles. She looks better that way. We are getting close… I hope we become good friends._

I smile as I brush my fingers over my written words…

_Dear diary,_

_I am sorry for not writing in you for so long… I was having a lot of fun with my friends… of course, Sakura was from them… She said that we are now best friends! I'm happy! My first best friend… it's Sakura! She's a very nice girl…I hope we stay like this forever. I'm a bit sleepy now, I'll write when I can!_

I still wish that you know? I think from time to time… think how life would be right now if I was still friends with that forehead girl… Would it be better or worse?

_Dear diary,_

_This is a disaster! I just found out that my best friend has a crush on the same boy I have one too! Uchiha Sasuke! I have had a crush on him from the first day of school! What am I going to do? I really like him… he's really cute and he's nice too… well, he used to be… now, I think something changed him. I don't know what._

_But what will I do? Sakura think he's cute too… _

_I think I'll just stay quiet and try to hide what I do when I see Sasuke-kun._

I smirk when I remember that day perfectly… she was talking to some of the guys in our group when the subject suddenly came up. And unfortunately she HAD to like the same guy… If it wasn't for him, I guess we could still be friends… but I couldn't blame Sasuke… I would always blame myself for that…

_Dear diary,_

_It's been years since I wrote something down huh? Sorry…_

_Today was my eleventh birthday. I had a party… not a big one, but at least Sakura was there…but guess what? After the party, she lead me to the training grounds, a place where we would all be training after a year… when we become genins. _

_She stopped in the middle of some trees and started talking seriously. I didn't really listen to much since I was worried with that firm look on her face. All I remember was that she became my rival… for Sasuke's love, and I had accepted. She then took out the red ribbon I gave her when we were kids and shook my hand, which I stubbornly took. So that's it… I'm not Sakura's best friend any more… I'm her rival._

I sigh deeply as I quickly turn the page over. I hate and still hate that day. I should have refused. I should have said something… I should have done ANYTHING rather than agreeing with Sakura. But no… I was stubborn. I was too proud and confident to just say "no." I HAD to shake her hand, take the ribbon and accept myself to be her rival. It's my fault… It really is.

_Dear diary,_

_My new nick name from that big fore headed girl was "Ino-pig" I don't really like it… but we're equal now. I have a rude nick name for her and so does she for me… That's all we call each other. Heh, who would have known… the forehead I had helped to hide, was now being criticized by me…I was ALMOST ashamed of myself… And that dumb girl thinks she'll be liked by Sasuke with that huge fore head? Haha… over my dead body…_

My eyes closed after I read that. Even in my own diary, I seem to be hiding my true emotions. The truth was that I never wanted to start calling names. I guess it just happened. And when I said that I was "almost" ashamed… that was a lie. I felt guilty every time I said it. Why did I say it then? The same reason why we became rivals in the first place. I was stubborn.

_Dear diary,_

_A year… a year of being rivals with Sakura, and I already feel like I'm losing. Why? Well, how would you feel if your crush was in the same team as your rival? Yeah, Sakura and Sasuke are in the same team… team 7. With that Naruto too… but I don't' care about him… It's the fact that Sasuke and Sakura are in the same team that bugs me… She'll have the upper hand now… _

_Oh, and what makes things better? Being in the same team with someone that does nothing all day but eats, and the other who keeps on complaining about how troublesome things are._ _I HATE Haruno!_

Another lie… I never hated her. I've always loved her as a friend… it was just my stubbornness writing there. And now, when I think about it, I DO care about Naruto now… he has become my friend. A very good friend at that. And Chouji? He might eat a lot but he has a brain and heart… he always thinks before he speaks. As for Shikamaru, I'll get back to him.

_Dear diary, _

_I lost in the Chuunin exam a week ago. I had a fight with Sakura in the matches and we both lost. I liked the fight though. We fought as equals. Not rivals nor friends… but as inhabitants of Konoha, trying to be Chuunins for our own good. NOT to gain Sasuke's attention. Or maybe that was from my point of view. Anyways, I guess I'll have to try next year again. Maybe THEN I'd be strong enough to beet that creepy inner self of Sakura._

Yeah… That was true. I liked that fight a lot. I was able to catch one last glimpse of the Sakura I knew when we were young. But of course, a stronger version. A MUCH stronger version.

I flipped through the pages, afraid that my feelings would not be able to hold in much longer if I read the whole thing. I was getting sleepy anyways…

I reached the part a few months before Sasuke left, the part which I had written a two tears ago.

_Dear diary,_

_I'm confused. I still like Sasuke because he's hott and everything but I don't care as much as before. Really, I'd see Sakura with him from time to time. I even heard that Sasuke lost control when he found out that she was hurt in some fight against Gaara outside of Konoha. That's one thing. The other is that I'm starting to feel weird when I'm with Shikamaru. He's good looking as well, but that loyalty in him is just… AMAZING! It's the one characteristic I would fall for… HARD. And I'm sure most of you know the reason why…What's wrong with me? Am I starting to have feelings for my lazy team mate? _

A smile spreads across my face. It was true. He was just so loyal, and considering how lazy he was… it was just… magical to know such a thing. But I guess he's just like the others, unable to see the real me. I'm really good at hiding huh?

_Dear diary,_

_Sasuke left last night… he left to this guy named Orochimaru. I don't know the details, but I guess Sakura's devastated. I heard that he left to gain power. Why? I don't know, and maybe… I don't even care. He's never looked my way. He's always thought of me as an annoyance. He looks at me with disgust every time I greet him. So why? Why waste my energy? I'm doing all of this to win over Sakura anyways. I don't think I'm doing it to win Sasuke's heart any longer. Not when I'm having second thoughts. I just hope Sakura's doing okay. She gets pretty emotional at times…_

Hmm… he left and still isn't back. It's been two years. And truthfully, a year and a half since I've even thought about him. I don't care anymore. I'm not Sakura's friend anymore, and neither am I her rival. I act it as if I am, but deep down, I'm really not… I still consider her as my best friend because she still cares from time to time. I can see it in her eyes. But I know that she will never come up to me and say sorry. That's not her nor is it me. So I guess that she considers me as an acquaintance or something like that. But if she thinks of me the same way I think of her, I'd be lucky.

_Dear diary,_

_Shikamaru left today, with Naruto, Shino, Neji, Chouji, and Kiba. They were sent to look for Sasuke and bring him back. I want to understand why… why is it that I feel sad. Why is it that I'm worried about them? Wait… that's a lie. Why it is that I'm worried about Shikamaru… a person I couldn't care less about a year ago. Why?_

_I just… I don't know… I hope they all come back safely… INCLUDING Shikamaru._

I laughed mentally at myself. I was so oblivious then wasn't I? Well, I couldn't blame myself… I was only 12 then. But now, I understand fully… and I regret understanding…

_Dear diary,_

_They're back! I'm so happy! But they were all seriously injured, (except Shikamaru, thank goodness) with Naruto still missing. I wanted to go greet Shikamaru, but he'd think I was weird if I suddenly show up and hug him… Yeah, I would do that. My emotions come out of hand sometimes, and I'm sure that if I had gone to greet him, I would definitely cry… why?_

_I'm in love with Nara Shikamaru._

I close the notebook harshly, I was careful not to rip it but I placed it on my bed, making an image as if I had thrown it.

Heh, Yamanaka Ino fell in love with her team mate, Nara Shikamaru…How does that sound to all of you? Let me tell you, it would have been nice if we ended up together, or something like that, but the total opposite happened. I don't see him very often now. EVEN if he's on my team. Why? I avoid seeing him.

I quickly get off my bed and open the sliding door to my bedroom's balcony… I needed air and I needed it fast.

I took a deep breath as soon as the door was opened. I then walked in, letting the soft breeze play with my untied hair.

Yes, I had gotten over Sasuke, and moved on to someone even better. A person I needed in my life. Someone LOYAL… I loved that word… LOYALTY.

But guess what? He got closer to some girl from Sand… Name was Temari I think… Yeah. I don't think I'll ever be able to forget that name. Oh, don't get me wrong… I didn't hear anything that they were together. I just always jump to conclusions. That's me… And I was afraid. Afraid that if I tell him how I feel, he'd give me that same disgusted look I always saw on Sasuke when I said anything to the dark haired boy. I HATED that expression. So being the weakling everyone thought was strong, I ran away yet again. I had already lost my chance in being Sakura's best friend forever, now I lost my chance in being happy.

I know it's not me, but then again, you don't know… no one does… I cry. I let the tears that have been bottled up from the day Sakura became my rival gush out… I guess you've never seen my blue eyes with tears huh? Well… what can I say?

I cry my heart out… nothing's left for me… I know some people must have it worse then me, but really… I just couldn't take it any longer…

So now, the blonde you see breathing heavily on her balcony, tears coming out of those once beautiful blue eyes, who threw her diary on her bed due to the number of events which she could not take, the blonde who admits that she was over Sasuke, the blonde who says that her favorite word was "loyalty"… Is it the Ino you once knew?

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**May Hyuuga: **Well? How was it? I understand that Ino isn't really a popular with most people so I decided to right about her. I actually like her. I don't know about you guys, but in my eyes the fanfic shows who she really is… I'm not saying that I'm right, but it'd be nice to see people who agree with me. 

There are people who are exactly like Ino (in my point of view)… so look around. It'd be sad right? To know somebody out there who's living a life we do not know about. Especially if that person is close to us.

By the way, in the beginning of Ino's entries for her diary, I tried to make them sound childish. I tried not to use big words… but if I have failed… I apologize.

I wrote this in an hour or so, so I understand if it's not that impressive. Tell me if you want a sequel or not… it's up to you… but ACTUALLY writing the sequel will be up to me. I'm not expecting a lot of people to read this… so I don't expect much reviews either…

All types of reviews are accepted… but not all are appreciated… (flames)

Take care everyone!


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